Train transporting oil derails in North Dakota

A train carrying crude oil derailed in North Dakota, forcing thousands of residents to flee the possible toxic fumes on Tuesday.

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The BNSF Railway Co. train caused a series of explosions after derailing, but none of the train's crew was injured, according to reports from the the railway company, Bloomberg reports.

Residents of Casselton, N.D., were told to evacuate early Tuesday morning. The train derailed Monday afternoon, but as of 9:20 p.m. Monday 21 railways were ablaze.

“There is still a small blaze out there,” Haaland said at about 4 a.m. on Tuesday. “We are waiting for sunrise to evaluate whether they will go in and extinguish the fire, or if it will burn itself out.”

The derailment is the fourth in North America over a span of six months by trains carrying crude oil. As shale from North Dakota to Texas has pushed U.S. output to the highest since 1988, record volumes of crude are moving by train. And pipeline development is failing to keep up, Bloomberg reports.